Remove the Dust From Your Horse

How to Remove the Dust From Your Horse

There’s one thing to know about dust, dirt, and dry weather when horse grooming. The static and dryness in the air make removing that dust and dirt really tricky! But it’s not impossible to remove the dust from your horse. The “secret” is to make your horse as humidified as possible, to counteract the static and dryness that makes the dust so tricky to brush off.

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How to get the last layer of dust off your horse:

You may need to experiment and find out if busting the dryness should happen before or after you curry your horse. Or a little of both? You will have to try both methods and find out what works best for your horse.

Use a damp washcloth or towel. There are a few ways to do this.

You can wipe your horse down. Or, you can swipe your dandy brush against a damp cloth to get just enough static busting moisture on your brush. You may end up with a dirtier-than-normal brush, though.

And for the love of all things horses, please use clean towels, rags, and grooming brushes. No need to smear things around.

Spritz your horse with something.

Grooming sprays like Easy Out (for stains and deodorizing) and sheen products will also smash any static and dryness that is holding the dust on your horse.

You can also spritz your horse lightly with water. A generic spray bottle is affordable and can be filled with whatever you like!

Use a grooming mitt.

Sheepskin mitts are popular, and work well! You can also find grooming mitts made from microfiber fabric, burlap, or cactus cloth. I personally think sheepskin is the best!

You can spray your grooming mitt of choice with a grooming oil, n0-rinse shampoo, or even horse sunscreen to help lift all of the dirt.

Use a horse vacuum.

BUT – you may run into the scenario where the dry air creates static shocks between the nozzle and your horse. Use your grooming spray or water bottle to spritz the inside of the nozzle to cut the static. You may have to do this a few times as you vacuum your horse.

You can’t go wrong with an insta-hot kettle at the barn!

Other tips for dust-busting at the barn:

Hot water kettles are wonderful ways to get hot water in your cross ties. You can easily dunk a washcloth into some steamy water to cut the dust on your horse.

Keep your brushes clean. I find that winter grooming is dirtier than summer grooming, so the brushes are done more often. As they should be.

You may want to experiment with using a curry comb or grooming gloves that are damp, too. Just to see what happens.

Keep your horse’s blankets clean! Dirty horses make for dirty blankets which make for dirty horses. If you want to save in the washing department, use a thin sheet below all blankets. Thin sheets are super easy to wash, and they keep your heavy blankets clean.

Brooms > blower (usually)

Barn management for keeping the dust away

Try to use brooms to sweep things, instead of blowers. The best way to sweep up a dusty barn aisle is to wet the aisle first! A simple watering can will work. Or, you can dunk a stiff brush into water and flick it down the aisle. You can also dip your broom into some water. This just cuts down on how much dust you sweep into the air. It’s always best to sweep the aisle when the horses are out of the barn.

Find a low dust bedding. Sometimes larger flakes are less dusty. Sometimes sawdust is less dusty. Cardboard is the least dusty bedding out there, and it’s awesome for clean horses and horses with breathing issues.

Keep hay storage in another building if you can. Hay can be dusty, as well as a giant tinderbox of fire. It’s best to store elsewhere.

Happy grooming!

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